this one cracks mommy up

i like to count sheep.

bringing back the '80s

aah, yes -- the jellies make a comeback.  mommy had some when she was little and now, so do i...courtesy of the good folks at the gap.

day at the park

had a wonderful afternoon of modeling my shades, staring at all the doggies (and wishing i could run after them) and soaking up the sun. aah, what a lucky baby to live in san diego.

my new chair

mommy's 2.99 find at the grocery proved to be quite the prop.

eight months old!

wow-ee, lady samantha is eight months old today!  mommy and daddy can hardly believe it.

the j&j ad team had it right when they coined "a baby changes everything." what a different life we lead now!  different and very busy -- putting us way behind on our updates.

let's see if we can get you caught up!

(jumper - courtesy of our good pal lincoln,
dress - mommy's friend steph in houston)


since mommy last blogged...
- made our maiden family voyage to laguna beach
- tried our first solid food
- sat up
- celebrated mommy's day
- dedicated sammie to the Lord on daddy's day
- visited gigi and granddaddy, uncle al and aunt steph, uncle bobby, and many, many pals in houston
- made an unexpected surprise trip to see gigi in austin

- got our first bu cheerleader outfit (thank you aunt jo!)

- celebrated the fourth of july with our so cal family (see post for pics)

whew!  how time flies!

fun on the fourth!

the fourth of july is daddy's favorite holiday, and we are so lucky to get to spend it with our adopted family.  we love you, wonders / seibers / coulters, and thanks for welcoming us into your lives.

here are some shots from this year's festivities.

                                                                                

 

                                                                        

feelin' leggy

these baby legs are just about the cutest things i've ever seen.  can't get enough of them!

thank you, auntie nerna!

fun at the zoo

sammie loves the zoo, mostly because mommy and daddy do so much.  on her most recent trip she debuted a new seersucker ensemble...and some bedroom eyes.

glamour shots with m + d.  i promise i did not give her any bourbon in her bottle in mine.

practicing her "come hither" eyes for the older men at church. that would be the walkers and toddlers.

a wee little lady

given mommy's love of all things irish (and she hit the jackpot by marrying into a very irish family!), sammie's first st. paddy's was a big deal...and a photo shoot was to be expected. 

as you follow the progression of photos, you'll see that the sitting up idea did not prove to be successful.  however, laying her down on a very cute velour polka dot blanket (kudos, kristy!) did the trick.

sammie then went on to accompany mommy and daddy to a delish dinner of corned beef and cabbage.  she had most of the antique row wrapped around her finger by the time they finished.

a hint of pink

such a sweet girl.

another new buddy

seriously, how cute is this?  sam met up with little josiah today for some post-church smiles.  brad and kristy, we may have a situation on our hands in 20 years.

making friends

since mommy and daddy (well, mostly mommy) lived the first two months of samantha's life in total fear of swine flu, sammie was unfortunately cut off from society.  so -- needless to say -- she was excited to make friends with the millions of other babies born in the last couple of months.

here are some of her faves, including some potential suitors.  hey, the girl has taste...and early on!

"hey, sweet mimi -- why aren't you singing with me?  do you only sing on the sundays when your mommy and daddy perform?"

"i wanna hold your hand, my maybe-one-day latin lover!  your mommy and daddy sure made a cute boy!"

"this is my friend link.  he is super-cute, as are his parents.  perhaps he'll take me camping in a few years!"

happy (belated) valentine's day!

hope everyone had a "love"-ly day! 

sam's mommy forced her into a v-day photo shoot -- below are some fun shots!

hey cupid, got a sec...

channeling marilyn monroe (we'll have to have the "you can't just lift up your skirt" chat one day)...

okay, mom, i'm so over this shoot...

the first three months

hello again!  sorry it's been so long, but we've survived!

when people told us, "get ready -- your life's going to change," i think we believed them, but had NO IDEA what they meant. what a difference three months makes!

let us fill you in on recent webdell family happenings:

* mom and dad learn their pre-baby theory of "you'll sleep a couple hours, then i'll take over, and we'll keep switching -- it'll be a little hard but we'll manage pretty well" doesn't really prove true. (pause for hearty laugh from all parents reading this.) thankfully sam has wonderful grandparents who came to the rescue, letting mommy and daddy get some much-needed rest.
* their systems adjust to the new "good night's rest" around week 3, making them much less cranky.
* sammie eats very well, gaining weight very quickly. mommy breathes big sigh of relief, and is very grateful for the wonderful nursing support group at mary birch.
* uncles bobby and alex and aunt stephany come to visit their niece. uncle bob dreds her hair and takes her to her first jam band show (kidding, but it's right around the corner), and uncle al and aunt steph treat her to her first trip to the zoo.
* auntie nerna and uncle steve-o visit from oregon to chaperone her first night out in the gaslamp.  auntie nerna helps mommy regain some sanity.
* sammie wakes up mommy and daddy the week of Christmas with smiles and coos.  all memories of the first month's challenges magically disappear.

* the little lady is voted "best dressed" at the support group, thanks to her surgically attached headbands.  mommy is so proud of her future fashionista.  dad moves dating age from 18 to 35.
* "tummy time" becomes a little more enjoyable. sadly enough, turning on "what not to wear" is a help in keeping her head up. we think she might have a crush on clinton...or his sweater vests.
* she rolls over for mommy, who shrieks with delight and has daddy come in to see!  she indulged us one more time, but we're still waiting for an encore...

one other exciting event was her first photo shoot!  our very talented friend brent turned our tiny condo into a studio and clicked away.  his talent is evidenced by getting as many good shots as he did, given she screamed the whole time!

feel free to see a little sampling of the day at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jeffandlindsay/BabySamOfficialPhotoShoot?authkey=Gv1sRgCL-A0J7E6OS7WA#5436758732625744722

thanks to everyone for their encouragement, yummy dinners, and well wishes as we (continue to) transition into parenthood.  while it's definitely not as easy as we anticipated, we wouldn't change a thing.  to be blessed with this child has brought unimaginable wonder into our lives.  to wake up to her smile every morning is like hearing God sing to us.  and to quote a good friend upon the birth of his baby girl, "life is in fantastic color."